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Danielle
Yes, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not reading The Shining first because it is just so good.
Joanna T
I think it is important to know what Dan went through as a child. You would get more background about his experiences that haunt him as an adult. And the relationship with Richard Hallorann from Dan's childhood is pivotal. At least watch the movie...which is one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King book there is, in my opinion. But "The Shining" is so good that I highly recommend it before reading "Doctor Sleep".
Stephanie
As far as I remember, you can, but it does help if you've read The Shining. I don't think MAJOR plot points hinge on it, it has it's own story and isn't a sequel really so much as another adventure for one of the main characters, but The Shining is a great book and you need to read it anyway. :) Good Halloween reading!
Wendy
No issue reading it if you haven't read the first but it might make it a more indepth experience if you read both at some point.
Michael Romick
You can, but it would make for a more meaningful experience if you read The Shining first.
Donna Davis
But...why would you?
Karen Marchand
yes you could, but you shouldn't.
T.L. Bahr
Reading both is definitely a better experience because Doctor Sleep brings both books full-circle for the finale. If you read the Shining, you will definitely appreciate the location of the final showdown. But King does explain a lot of the Shining in this book, so that Doctor Sleep can be read independently. Either way both books are amazing!
Josh
I suppose, but I don't know why you'd want to. The Shining is a classic and pretty much a must-read for any genre or King fans. This one leans on the first for a lot of context, and it's a weaker book overall.
Madison C.
You can, but one of my favorite things about reading this book was experiencing another story with Danny and getting back into that atmosphere. There were a lot of subtle references to the Shining and sometimes the tone would get very similar to the first book. You could easily follow Doctor Sleep without reading the Shining first, but I would not recommend it. The experience is so much better if you have read and enjoyed the first one.
Mark Blackard
It helps to have read The Shining since this book refers to the Overlook Hotel several times.
V. Tarango Jr.
You are missing so much if you never read The Shining. One of my favorite King novels.
Julie Webster
You could ...But The Shining has information that is picked up in Doctor Sleep.
Steve
i feel like the standard answer for this question regarding any sequel should be, yea you can, but you'll be lost at points, especially up front, and wont appreciate it nearly as much. the shining is not a long book, you can put it away in a day or two. also if you like stephen king, its one of his finest books
Annielise
Creo que es mejor leer El resplandor primero.
Vilhelm Schmidt
It worked for me. The Shining (movie) gave me all the background I needed to thoroughly enjoy Dr. Sleep. The stories are intertwined to a degree, but if you’ve seen the movie, imo, you don’t need to read the Shining. Definitely read Dr. Sleep though.
Mitch Fahnestock
Part way through the book I wondered why this had to use Danny from The Shining as it seemed like it would have been fine as a stand alone story. By the end I was convinced that it is a true sequel and reading The Shining first is important.
Irwin Fletcher
No. You need to have the novel pretty fresh in your mind. Not the movie (which changed a lot of events and left a lot of others out) or the mini-series (which was closer to the book but not close enough to skip reading it) but the actual book. You could maybe get by without it but you'd miss out on a lot of the references and hints that are planted throughout.
Joshua Pelfrey
I have not read "The Shining" having only watched the mini-series from the 90's and the Kubrick movie. But I imagine that just the stuff you pick up thru cultural osmosis will get you through. Even if you never saw "The Shining" with the number of parodies of it that have appeared in pop culture you have effectively 'seen' it.
What the Fluff
The Shining is my favorite Stephen King book, and I would have been confused if I did not read it before this one
Tina
Yes. There really isn't any reason to read the shining first. Although this book it related. This book is a great story in itself
Thomas James
I would read 'The Shining' first, you definitely appreciate the character of Dan Torrance more and you understand what he has gone through. It's not essential but I wouldn't read it without reading 'The Shining', partly because 'The Shining' is such a good book.
Samantha
I know I was disappointed in the movie after reading the book because it makes it clear that the hotel is possessing Jack and that his family knows as much. There were other things left out, such as Tony (which is definitely not a freaky talking finger) and other things like that. But you can read this by itself.
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